Make Life Colorful: Pursuing the Creative Dream Without Giving up on Hope

Omid Vafa was born in June 1969 in Tehran, Iran. During his childhood, he lived in Afghanistan (1976-1980) where his father was stationed as a diplomat during the last Iranian royal dynasty (Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi). In the later years of his stay in Afghanistan, Omid survived 4 coups d'état, including a Soviet Union invasion before moving back to Iran. He moved back to his home country during a time of chaos. It was the final month of the Pahlavi Empire and Iran was undergoing political shifts due to the Iranian Revolution (1979) and war with Iraq (1980).Throughout his 5 years of return to Iran, Omid experienced the Iran and Iraq war. With the eruption of war and the persecution Baha'is were facing after the Iranian Revolution, he had no other choice but to flee. Omid left his family behind before turning 16 in hopes of a brighter future. He prevailed on another perilous journey during his time as a refugee in Pakistan for over 2 years (1985-1988) before getting the opportunity to start a new life in Canada. He lived there for just over a decade without having to worry about his physical safety. Following his life in Canada, U.S., Switzerland, Australia, and the UK, Omid moved to Japan (2005) and began immediately searching for ways to contribute his knowledge and experience to the community.Omid is a philanthropist, entrepreneur, and public speaker, giving talks on a variety of topics on entrepreneurship, fashion, and education to youth and various interest groups/associations, athletes, and corporations.https: //www.linkedin.com/in/senavafa/https: //www.japantimes.co.jp/tag/sena-vafa/

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk. He is the spiritual leader of Tibet. He was born on 6 July 1935, to a farming family, in a small hamlet located in Taktser, Amdo, northeastern Tibet. At the age of two, the child, then named Lhamo Dhondup, was recognized as the reincarnation of the previous 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso.The Dalai Lamas are believed to be manifestations of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion and the patron saint of Tibet. Bodhisattvas are realized beings inspired by a wish to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings, who have vowed to be reborn in the world to help humanity.